Undersea wet-mateable fiber optic connector

Abstract

A wet-mateable fiber optic connector includes mateable and demateable plug and receptacle parts having opposite end housings. The housings mount inner sleeves which interfit with one another when the connector parts are assembled together. Guide and latch fingers attached to the receptacle part facilitate interfitting of the sleeves together and latching and retaining the connector parts in mated condition. A pair of elongated wand structures mounted at outer ends to the end housings receive and hold end portions of respective optical fibers. The wand structures are mounted at inner ends to centering and sealing members in the respective inner sleeves. When the parts are mated together, one of the centering and sealing members mounts in axially aligned and a butting relation respective inner ends of the wand structures and positions in axially aligned and optically coupled relation the respective ends of the optical fiber end portions extending through the wand structures. Pressure compensating bladders in the respective inner sleeves contain an index matching fluid about inner end portions of the wand structures and inner ends of the optical fibers for equalizing the pressure of the index matching fluid therein with that of a fluid of the environment in which the mated connector will be submerged.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wet-mateable fiber optic connector, comprising: (a) a first mateable and demateable connector part including (i) a first housing portion, (ii) an actuatable latch means mounted to said first housing portion for movement between latching and unlatching positions, (iii) a first wand structure for receiving and stationarily holding therein a first optical fiber end portion and being mounted at its outer end portion to said first housing portion, (iv) first sealing and centering means for slideably receiving and holding an inner end portion of said first wand structure and being mounted to said first housing portion, and (v) first compensating means connected to said sealing and centering means for sealably containing an optical refractive index matching fluid about said inner end portion of said first wand structure and for equalizing the pressure of said index matching fluid therein with a fluid of the environment in which said connector will be submerged; and   (b) a second mateable and demateable connector part including (i) a second housing portion partially interfitted within said first housing portion of said first connector part when said parts are in a mated condition, (ii) means on said second housing portion being cooperable with said first housing portion for guiding said second housing portion into the mated condition with said first housing portion and for releasably latching said housing portions together to retain said parts in said mated condition, (iii) a second wand structure for receiving and stationarily holding therein a second optical fiber end portion and being mounted at its outer end portion to said second housing portion, (iv) second sealing and centering means mounted to said second housing portion for receiving and holding an inner end portion of said second wand structure and for receiving said inner end portion of said first wand structure to mount in axially aligned and abutting relation respective inner ends of said first and second wand structures and position in axially aligned and optically coupled relation respective ends of the first and second optical fiber end portions extending therein, without the necessity of moving either of said fiber end portions relative to said respective wand structures which stationarily hold said fiber end portions therein, when said parts are brought into said mated condition, and (v) second compensating means for sealably containing an optical refractive index matching fluid about said inner end portion of said second wand structure, said axially aligned and abutting inner ends of said wand structures and said axially aligned and optically coupled optical fiber end portions and for equalizing the pressure of said index matching fluid therein with the environmental fluid in which said connector will be submerged.   
     
     
       2. The connector of claim 1 wherein said first housing portion includes a first outer end housing adapted to receive axially therethrough the first optical fiber end portion. 
     
     
       3. The connector of claim 2 wherein said first housing portion further includes a first inner sleeve having an interior chamber and being open at an inner end and attached at an outer end to said first outer end housing so as to extend axially therefrom, said sleeve having openings defined therethrough which communicate said interior chamber thereof with the exterior of said sleeve and thereby with the environmental fluid in which said connector will be submerged. 
     
     
       4. The connector of claim 3 wherein said second housing portion includes a second outer end housing adapted to receive axially therethrough the second optical fiber end portion. 
     
     
       5. The connector of claim 4 wherein said second housing portion further includes a second inner sleeve having an interior chamber and being attached at an outer end to said second outer end housing so as to extend axially therefrom, said second inner sleeve at its inner end adapted to be fitted within said inner end of said first inner sleeve of said first connector part with said second sealing and centering means of said second connector part sealingly engaging said first sealing and centering means of said first connector pat when said parts are in said mated condition. 
     
     
       6. The connector of claim 4 wherein said second housing portion further includes a second inner sleeve having an interior chamber and being attached at an outer end to said second outer end housing so as to extend axially therefrom, said second inner sleeve at its inner end fitted within said inner end of said first inner sleeve of said first connector part when said connector parts are in said mated condition, said second inner sleeve having openings defined therethrough which communicate with said interior chamber thereof and align and communicate with said openings in said first inner sleeve when said connector parts are in said mated condition thereby communicating the environmental fluid in which said connector will be submerged with said interior chamber of said second inner sleeve. 
     
     
       7. The connector of claim 3 wherein said first sealing and centering means includes a first centering member mounted in said interior chamber of said first inner sleeve for biased axial movement toward said open inner end thereof and yieldable axial movement toward said outer end thereof, said first centering member having an axial bore defined therethrough for slidably movably mounting therethrough said inner end portion of said first wand structure. 
     
     
       8. The connector of claim 7 wherein said first sealing and centering means further includes a first sealing member composed of a yieldably resilient material and being attached to an inner side of said first centering member for movement therewith along said interior chamber of said inner sleeve so as to provide a sliding seal with said sleeve about the exterior of said sealing member, said first sealing member having an axial opening defined therethrough normally closed but yieldably openable upon insertion therethrough of said inner end portion of said first wand structure so as to provide a sliding seal with said wand structure at the interior of said sealing member, said exterior and interior sliding seals provided by said first sealing member being adapted to prevent access by environmental fluid through said inner open end of said first inner sleeve past said first sealing member and thus to said first centering member and thereby to said axial bore therethrough. 
     
     
       9. The connector of claim 8 wherein said first compensating means is a first bladder member attached to an outer side of said first centering member so as to extend axially therefrom within said interior chamber of said inner sleeve and be movable with said first centering member therealong, said first bladder member having an opening at its outer end through which is received said inner end portion of said first wand structure, said first bladder member being composed of a yieldably resilient material and defining a first sealed internal chamber with said first centering member and about said first wand structure portion which contains the optical index matching fluid therein, said first bladder member being disposed in communication with said sleeve interior chamber and thereby with the environmental fluid for equalizing the pressure of said index matching fluid within its internal chamber with that of the environmental fluid. 
     
     
       10. The connector of claim 2 wherein said first housing portion further includes a first inner sleeve having an interior chamber and being open at an inner end and attached at an outer end to said first outer end housing so as to extend axially therefrom, said sleeve having latching elements defined on the exterior of its said outer end. 
     
     
       11. The connector of claim 10 wherein said latch means is a latch collar mounted about said first outer end housing for biased axial movement toward said latching position and yieldable axial movement toward said unlatching position, said latch collar extending axially from said outer end housing along and spaced outwardly of said outer end of said first inner sleeve and said latching elements thereon. 
     
     
       12. The connector of claim 11 wherein said second housing portion includes a second outer end housing adapted to receive axially therethrough the second optical fiber end portion. 
     
     
       13. The connector of claim 12 wherein said second housing portion further includes a second inner sleeve having an interior chamber and being attached at an outer end to said second outer end housing so as to extend axially therefrom, said second inner sleeve at its inner end fitted within said inner end of said first inner sleeve of said first connector part when said parts in said mated condition. 
     
     
       14. The connector of claim 13 wherein said guiding and latching means of said second connector part includes a plurality of guide fingers disposed circumferentially about said second outer end housing and being attached thereto so as to extend therefrom along the axial direction of said second housing, said guide fingers being arranged and adapted to slidably receive said inner end of said first inner sleeve of said first housing portion therebetween for guiding i over said second inner sleeve of said second housing portion to facilitate mating of said first and second connector parts together. 
     
     
       15. The connector of claim 14 wherein said guiding and latching means further includes a plurality of latch fingers disposed circumferentially about said second outer end housing in alternating fashion with said guide fingers and being attached thereto so as to extend therefrom along the axial direction of said second housing, said latch fingers having latching elements on inner ends thereof adapted to latch with said latching elements on said outer end of said first inner sleeve of said first housing portion when said first and second connector parts are in said mated condition for thereby retaining said parts in said mated condition. 
     
     
       16. The connector of claim 2 wherein said first housing portion includes a first spacing member stationarily disposed in said first outer end housing and stationarily mounting said outer end portion of said first wand structure, said first spacing member having an axial passage defined therethrough for receiving therethrough the first optical fiber end portion. 
     
     
       17. The connector of claim 1 wherein said first and second wand structures each has an axial channel defined therethrough for receiving and stationarily positioning therein the respective one of said first and second optical fiber end portions. 
     
     
       18. The connector of claim 17 wherein said each wand structure has an optical fiber core holding insert fitted within said channel at said inner end portion thereof. 
     
     
       19. The connector of claim 1 wherein said second housing portion includes a second outer end housing adapted to receive axially therethrough the second optical fiber end portion. 
     
     
       20. The connector of claim 19 wherein said second housing portion further includes a second inner sleeve having an interior chamber and being open at an inner end and attached at an outer end to said second outer end housing so as to extend axially therefrom, said sleeve having openings defined therethrough between its inner and outer ends which communicate said interior chamber thereof with the exterior of said sleeve and thereby with the environmental fluid in which said connector will be submerged. 
     
     
       21. The connector of claim 20 wherein said guiding and latching means includes a plurality of guide fingers disposed circumferentially about said second outer end housing and being attached thereto so as to extend therefrom along the axial direction of said second housing. 
     
     
       22. The connector of claim 21 wherein said guiding and latching means further includes a plurality of latch fingers disposed circumferentially about said second outer end housing in alternating fashion with said guide fingers and being attached thereto so as to extend therefrom along the axial direction of said second housing, said latch fingers having latching elements on inner ends thereof. 
     
     
       23. The connector of claim 20 wherein said second housing portion further includes a spacing member stationarily mounted in said interior chamber of said second inner sleeve and having an axial passage defined therethrough in which is mounted said second wand structure for biased slidable movement toward said inner end thereof and yieldable slidable movement toward said outer end thereof. 
     
     
       24. The connector of claim 23 wherein said second spacing member also has an inner end portion of reduced diameter so as to define a circumferential space between it and said second inner sleeve, said inner end portion having radial openings defined therethrough communicating said circumferential space with said axial passage of said second spacing member. 
     
     
       25. The connector of claim 24 wherein said second sealing and centering means includes a second centering member stationarily disposed in said interior chamber of said second inner sleeve adjacent to said inner end thereof and displaced from said inner end portion of said second spacing member so as to define an axial space therebetween which communicates with said circumferential space, said second centering member having an axial bore defined therethrough for movably receiving and mounting therethrough said inner end portion of said first wand structure when said first and second connector parts are brought into said mated condition. 
     
     
       26. The connector of claim 25 wherein said second sealing and centering means further includes a second sealing member composed of a yieldably resilient material and being stationarily disposed in said interior chamber of said second inner sleeve between said inner end thereof and said second centering member so as to provide a seal with said second inner sleeve about the exterior of said sealing member, said sealing member having an axial opening defined therethrough normally closed but yieldably openable upon insertion therethrough of said inner end portion of said first wand structure so as to provide a sliding seal with said wand structure at the interior of said sealing member, said exterior and interior seals provided by said second sealing member for preventing access by environmental fluid through said inner open end of said second inner sleeve past said second sealing member and to said centering member and thereby to said axial bore therethrough. 
     
     
       27. The connector of claim 26 wherein said sealing and centering means further includes a hollow alignment sleeve extending through said axial space defined between and being mounted at its opposite ends to said second spacing member inner end portion and said second centering member, said alignment sleeve having interior surface portions extending between its opposite ends which receive, slidably engage, and mount in said abutting relation said respective inner ends of said first and second wand structures and position in said optically coupled relation said ends of the first and second optical fiber end portions received within said wand structures. 
     
     
       28. The connector of claim 27 wherein said alignment sleeve has openings defined therethrough which communicate said axial space with the ends of the optical fiber end portions within said alignment sleeve. 
     
     
       29. The connector of claim 28 wherein said second compensating means is a second bladder member disposed within and extending axially through said interior chamber of said second inner sleeve and being attached to and extending between said second centering member and said second spacing member along and spaced from said inner end portion thereof and through said circumferential and axial spaces and about said alignment sleeve, said second bladder member being composed of a yieldably resilient material and defining a second sealed internal chamber containing said index matching fluid, said bladder member being disposed in communication with the environmental fluid via said openings through said second inner sleeve to its interior chamber for equalizing the pressure of said index matching fluid within said second chamber with that of the environmental fluid. 
     
     
       30. An undersea wet-mateable fiber optic connector, comprising: (a) a pair of opposite outer housings;   (b) a pair of inner sleeves attached at outer ends thereof to said respective outer housings and interfitted with one another;   (c) a plurality of guide and latch fingers attached in alternating fashion at outer ends thereof to one of said respective outer housings and being adapted for guiding said inner sleeves into interfitted and latched relation together;   (d) a pair of elongated wand structures mounted at outer ends to said outer housings for receiving and stationarily holding therein end portions of respective optical fibers;   (e) a pair of centering and sealing means mounted in said respective inner sleeves at respective inner ends thereof and being adapted to mount said respective wand structures at inner end portions thereof, one of said centering and sealing means also being adapted to mount in axially aligned and abutting relation respective inner ends of the wand structure and to position in axially aligned and optically coupled relation respective ends of the optical fiber end portions extending therein, without the necessity of moving either of said fiber end portions relative to said respective wand structures which stationarily hold said fiber end portions; and   (f) a pair of pressure compensating bladders mounted in said respective inner sleeves and containing an index matching fluid about inner end portions of said wand structures and inner ends of the optical fibers for equalizing the pressure of the index matching fluid therein with that of a fluid of the environment in which the connector will be submerged.